1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a tabbed file folder adapted to attach business cards as an organizer for readily identifying business entities and readily retrieving filing information provided by such business entities.
2. Description of Related Art
Index and organizational markers applied to file folders are known in the art. However, a tour of the many stationary supply stores will not provide a file folder system where a customer can apply, as a label, business cards from a supplier of a product line, and within which information about the product line can be stored and is readily available. Most prior art folders simply contain an index tab upon which a label must be attached. Information about the product or supplier must be typed or printed using a computer, on the label before it is adhesively applied to the index portion of the file folder. Other identifying accessories for file folders are plastic index markers which stick to the file folder and a label, generally wide enough to accommodate only a one line entry of data, is slid into the plastic index marker.
None of the file folders generally found in the business stationary supply stores solve the problem of organizing information about a product line with a vendor or supplier of the product line, wherein a business card can be used as a label on the file folder. For example, a medical sales representative may call on many customers, but these customers in turn meet with innumerable sales representatives on a daily basis. An enormous amount of information and literature is exchanged between the customer and the several sales representatives. Customers have been found to have a difficult time tracking the information such that when a subsequent visit is made, the customers often cannot find the previous information provided to them. Instead, previously provided information and literature is often misplaced or intermixed with competitors information, making it difficult to distinguish which product line is provided by each sales representative.
As a result, much of the information previously provided becomes wasted, along with the time spent by the sales representative in stopping by the customer's place of business to market the product line. Even if the information is still retrievable by the customer, a sales representative must often wait a significant amount of time on a subsequent visit until the customer finds the previously provided information and/or literature. If the information is not found, then valuable time is wasted as the sales representative must then repeat the sales pitch made the previous visit. Therefore, no significant sales progress is made during the sales meeting, sales are lower and the earnings of the sales representative, which are generally based on sales commissions, are also lower.
The solution is to have a simplistic file folder organizer system where the customer can keep information from one sales representative separate from other information provided by other sales representatives by using each sales representative's business card as a file folder label. With this novel system, a customer, with little effort, can attach a sales representative's business card to a file folder and insert within the file folder information about the product line for future use, thus promoting better time management between the sales representative and the customer, while improving the chances of enhancing sales. In addition, due to the layout of a traditional business card format, a labeled file folder could easily be inserted into an alphabetically organized filing drawer.
Similarly, sales representatives can use the same system by placing a customer purchasing agent's business card on a file folder and filing information regarding any submitted quotes, contract, correspondence, literature and other product line information already provided to the customer's purchasing agent, thereby providing quick access of everything a user needs to know in advance of a call or a meeting with a customer.
Without such a file folder organizer, important documents regularly become lost due to an inconsistent filing system; increased stress is experienced brought about by the inability to quickly locate information when needed; too much time is spent doing menial tasks such as trying to locate information; the quality of customer service is diminished; and the professional presentation of the information previously provided is compromised. For both the sales representative and the customer, the additional time spent at work due to the inefficiencies of current filing systems, may lead to lost personal time with families.
There are many potential users for this novel invention. Along with sales representatives and purchasing agents, consultants, business entities providing services and government agencies tracking information about specific business entities may use this invention.